Hello Everyone,



I’m on the fence about buying a used 2007 CX-7 with 118k for 4k. The car is appears to be in great condition, service records are ok, I will be taking it for a test drive this Saturday.



Recently I read about another CX-7, same year with less mileage that was being sold dirt cheap because the turbo seized up. After looking up the turbo I found a boatload of posts and website with complaints about a faulty turbo.



This is where my hesitation comes from, I’m afraid that after buying it the inevitable will happen and the turbo will crap out. How likely is that? How much is a repair like that now a days? All the information I find is years old.



Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I just bought a 2008 CX7 with a bad engine I am replacing. In my research from machine shops I have heard that the original timing chain gets slack and will have a annoying ticking noise on the casing. Some have broke. One shop said the oil pump is too weak for a turbo. Another said to be sure to run the right coolant and always use synthetic oil because the turbo engine gets hot. my engine made it to 133k and one shop said it was lucky to make it that far. Failure usually occurs at 80k. In the one I bought the oil was not changed often and I found lots of black gummed up parts including the oil pick up tube which probably was the root cause. Mine had a replaced turbo that was installed just before the break down. It was a pain to remove even with the engine out of the car! Be sure to look inside the oil fill cap to see if it is black inside or dark bronze. Bad sign. Grey or silver is a sign of well maintained vehicle. Try to smell the oil for a a very distinct burnt smell.

 

I assume 118k is 118,000 miles? Thats alot for a CX-7, as they are known to be a fragile motor.

Spending $4,000, you are asking for trouble. Be prepared to spend money on engine repairs or replacement.